Colts are winning all of the close ones

Sunday

The Indianapolis Colts rank 31st in rushing offense. They're in the middle of the pack on defense at 15th.

Yet they're 10-0 because they have the league's No. 1 passing offense in a pass-and-catch era and they know how to win close games,

They've won their last four games in a row by a total of 10 points.

How rare is that? It's never been done before in NFL history.

The 1986 New York Giants won four in a row by 11 points and they went on to win the Super Bowl.

The Colts also have won four in a row after trailing in the fourth quarter, another first.

They trailed San Francisco 14-12 at the start of the fourth quarter, Houston 17-13 with eight minutes left, New England 31-14 with 13 minutes left and Baltimore 17-15 with seven minutes left.

The Colts, who are 6-0 in games decided by four points or fewer this season, beat the 49ers 18-14, the Texans 20-17, the Patriots 35-34, and the Ravens 17-15.

In last Sunday's victory over Baltimore, Peyton Manning threw two interceptions for the second consecutive game and Tom Santi fumbled at the Ravens' 1-yard line. Yet the Ravens only scored two field goals out of the turnovers.

To show what this ability to win close games means, look at the Colts' rematch with the Houston Texans today.

The Texans have similar statistics. They're 30th in rushing and third in passing and 18th on defense. Yet they can't seal the deal.

The 5-5 Texans have had the ball on the last series with a chance to force overtime and win in their last four losses.

They lost to the Colts and Tennessee Titans 20-17 as Kris Brown missed a 42-yard field goal against the Colts on the final play and he missed a 49-yarder against the Titans with a second left.

All the close games make it difficult to judge the Colts.

"You don't want them [close games], but you need them," said running back Joseph Addai, according to the Indianapolis Star. "It lets you know what type of team you have."

Added Manning: "The thing about close games is [they're] testing us. We're finding a way to win."

All the close games help explain why there's not a lot of hype about the Colts going unbeaten. They're just surviving week to week.

They're only three-point favorites today, and a Colts loss wouldn't be a shocker. The teams are much closer than their 10-0 and 5-5 records would indicate.

New Polian in place

Chris Polian last week was hired to one of the toughest jobs in pro football.

He and his father, Colts president Bill Polian, both received contract extensions and Chris was promoted to the general manager role. He's the heir apparent to replace his father.

"Whenever Bill is ready to retire, or semi-retire, we'll move forward with Chris," team owner Jim Irsay said to the Indianapolis Star.

This means the Colts can deny permission to other teams wanting to talk to Chris Polian about a GM job.

The problem is that this might not be a plum job when Bill Polian gets ready to retire. That's because Manning will probably be nearing his retirement. Replacing Manning is not going to be easy.

Replay malfunctions

The NFL continues to have problems getting instant replay right.

n In Sunday night's Ravens-Colts game, Ravens coach Jim Harbaugh challenged a ruling that Reggie Wayne of the Colts had both feet inbounds on a catch. Then when he saw a replay on the scoreboard showing he did make the catch, Harbaugh took back his challenge and wasn't charged with a timeout.

Mike Pereira, the head of the officials, said on the NFL Network that a coach isn't allowed to take back a challenge and the Ravens should have been charged a timeout.

n In the Cowboys-Redskins game, a call was overturned on a play that the Redskins shouldn't have been allowed to challenge.

n In the Redskins' game against Green Bay the previous week, the Packers should have been penalized for challenging a play when they were out of challenges.

n In another play in the same game, Pereira said referee Jeff Triplette started to head to the replay monitor to review a disputed fumble before realizing the play wasn't allowed to be challenged.

Instant replay is supposed to correct mistakes, not cause more of them.

Bombs away

During the Giants-Broncos game, a recorded clip of Denver coach Josh McDaniels uttering a profanity was played on the air by the NFL Network.

Although the network apologized, it didn't explain why the recorded clip wasn't caught before it was played.

But the most interesting thing about the incident was McDaniels' reaction.

"It's the NFL Network. It doesn't surprise me," he said according to the Denver Post.

Tough stretch run

The Dallas Cowboys have 10 days off after winning on Thanksgiving Day, and they might need all of them to prepare. They finish the season with road games against the Giants, Saints and Redskins and with home games against the Chargers and Redskins. None of them figure to be easy games.

If the Cowboys flop down the stretch, coach Wade Phillips could be fired and the Cowboys' job would likely be the most attractive job on the market.

The Cowboys have a core of solid players and it's a glamour franchise. Owner Jerry Jones could probably have his pick of big-name coaches.

Mike Shanahan talked last week with the Buffalo Bills for seven hours, but he's not likely to make a move until the end of the season, when he finds out what other jobs are open.

Quotable

"I want to bring a sense of hope to someone who might not see any hope." - Green Bay Packers CB Charles Woodson, on donating $2 million to the new University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and Women's Hospital.

This story contains information from interviews, other beat writers, Web sites and news service reports.

vito.stellino@jacksonville.com,

(904) 359-4279

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